Stops
by imanginer8614
Summary: She lives her life like the way she drives—go, go, go Tony/Ziva AU-ish but follows season 6 story line Eventually Spoilers for all of season 6
1. Chapter 1

She lives her life like the way she drives—go, go, go. Don't stop even if someone is shot. If you are shot, hit the gas. Sleep when you can, eat what you get. Don't become attach. Shoot whom ever gets in the way. Just get the job done. But then a stop sign too big to ignore comes out in front of her and it is shaped like an Italian man and can't stop making movie references. She always knew that at some point in her life she would have to stop. She just thought it would be a round through the head instead of an arrow through her heart.

But then it's too late and someone else is doing the driving. She's back at Mossad before she knows what's happening. Everything happened so fast, just flashes in her mind. Tony, hot, and in a hot car, in a hot place; Jenny is dead; McGee is in a basement; Tony is on a ship and she is on a plane. She feels like just breaking down and crying as the world falls from beneath her, but that's not her training.

Her father is older but not wiser. He misses her fifteen-minute breaks that turn into two-day "assignments." Desk duty, he put her on desk duty. Doesn't trust her after being away for so long. She's not like Tony, McGee, or Abby. She doesn't hope for them to be reunited. In Mossad every mission is just a momentary position. When it is complete you move on. There are no attachments or permanent situations. That doesn't mean she doesn't miss them she just doesn't want to be disappointed.

She doesn't call him first; she just goes. The first time she almost gives him a heart attack. He's in Italy at an overheated restaurant. The lack-luster fans do nothing for the atmosphere or temperature. She looks around, checking for possible enemies, a reflex. She spots him flirting with the bartender.

"You know there are better ways to get a free drink." He flashes her one of his million-dollar smiles and _it's_ _just like a movie_.

"You want to enlighten me on those ways Officer David." He tries to hide his surprise by acting casual and not turning around. She likes that he recognizes her voice even after two weeks of being apart. For her (and him too), it feels like two weeks of silence.

"Oh it would be my pleasure." She kisses him because here it's different. There is no case, no Gibbs, no strings attached. He kisses her back and invites her to join him at a table. He leads her with his hand on her waist. They don't discuss why or how she's here. He knows her too well. She could track down a fly if she needed to, and he's hardly a fly.

He grasps her wrists. "Before we start just one question."

She looks at him puzzled, "what?"

"How do you manage to hide all those weapons under such a tiny dress?" She laughs because it's like old times but unlike old times she doesn't stop him when his hand starts moving up her thigh.

A waiter comes over and Tony talks to him in Italian. She lets him order for her. She's never let a man do that.

"What are we having?"

"The house specialty." It's nice to be taken care of. Sure she has played the part of needy girlfriend before, but this isn't an act. And although she is hardly acting needy she isn't the dominant one.

"Are you tired?" Tony worries when he sees a submissive Ziva.

"No, just hungry." He knows she's lying. He's one of the few that can tell. He doesn't push and doesn't ask why. The moment is too perfect and he's afraid she will shut down if he does.

"Good"

"Bad for you though"

"Now why is that?"

"You're paying," she taunts back. 'Yes' Tony thinks, 'his Ziva is still here.'

Tony had ordered a pasta dish with a garlicky tomato sauce.

"Kosher" he says offering her a fork. The wine is a basic red but it's alcohol and better than it looks.

"We can make this just like 'Lady and the Tramp.'" She worries about him. He seems drained and older in just two weeks. But the movie reference calms her fears a bit.

"Lady and the Tramp?"

"Yeah, except with us it'd be more like gentleman and the tramp."

"You are saying this when I have a knife in my hand already." He gulps audibly. She enjoys knowing she can still make him nervous.

"What happens in 'Lady and the Tramp?"

"Well there is this scene when Lady and Tramp are at an Italian restaurant eating spaghetti and they both start eating the same strand and they kiss." She stops his ramble with a kiss.

"If you wanted me to kiss you could have just asked."

"And yet that would be too easy."

They keep the conversation light, not mentioning Jenny or their separation. They both want a break for their real lives; the hard stuff will come later.

She's turning to leave but he catches her.

"Do you remember the first words you said to me?"

"Something about phone sex."

"I'm going to ignore the hurt I feel over you forgetting our first conversation to tell you that you can call."

"I'll call you first; it will be safer."

"You promise."

"Yes on the talking, no guarantee on the phone sex."

"I'll hold you to it."

With one last kiss she's gone, in a sea of red satin and orange perfume. She just slips through his fingers. That sensory explosion is what Tony holds on to on the lonely nights on a cold metal ship in the cold gray sea.

After she's left she can still smell tomato sauce, red wine, and something else she cannot place. Everything is cold. She is back in the desert but she shivers.


	2. Greece

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: The quick update is a product of my ultra-long (this year) winter break. This will be the last chapter that doesn't specifically have spoilers for season six. Also, this chapter and probably the rest will have inaccuracies, I know. But NCIS is fiction and this is fiction so that is how I am rationalizing them.

She tosses and turns all night dreaming of ships and waves, always in black and white. She swears she smells salt but doubts one can actually smell during a dream. She wakes up every morning still exhausted. One night she wakes up at midnight and has had enough. She picks up the phone and dials a number scribbled on a scrap piece of paper that she keeps near the bed.

He finds himself asking what would Ziva do, "WWZD," when sailors make stupid complaints. "She would shoot him" for the complaint about a stolen toothbrush. "She would draw a knife on him till he retracted his comment" to the sailor caught making catcalls to a female officer.

He hates Vance and this ship and the sailors who treat him like an enemy. He hates his stupid office and how it has become a prison on the sea. But most of all he hates the loneliness. In Washington, he could at least count on one fun conversation a day. Sure Abby and McGee have called; Abby calls at least once a day maybe more. Yet, he still finds himself awake late into the night hoping Ziva will call. Her calls are like precious gems because they are few and far between. He knows too many calls will call suspicion to herself and she's always been a bit paranoid for people watching her. She has good reason but still, he misses her.

"**Ring"**

"Agent Afloat DiNozzo" he picks up on the first ring.

"Tony" she sounds a bit surprised, probably because he picked up the phone so fast. "How have things been, my agent afloat?" He is surprised by the exhaustion in Ziva's voice.

"The usual sweet cheeks, stolen tooth brushes, questionable painkiller dispensing practices, and sexual harassment charges," he chooses to ignore the tiredness for now. She seems in a good mood for the moment.

"The last of which have been filed against you I take it?"

"Very funny Ziva. How have things been for you?"

"I'm on…how do you say it in English? Desk duty?"

"Mossad put you on desk duty?" Tony questions accenting the you.

"My father put me on desk duty."

"Oh," Tony is unsure as what to say to that.

"It is for the better though. It is easier for me to see you this way."

"I have shore leave in three days."

"Where?"

"Greece."

"Souda Bay?" She questions.

"Yes."

"I'll be there."

"Where there?"

"I will meet you at the port."

"Exactly how are you going to get onto a United States naval base?"

"I have my ways."

"Of course you do," he sighs. "Your turn to make plans."

"I guess it is."

"Make sure our plans include food. The stuff here can't even pass for food"

"I'm sure I can find something suitable for you." There is a lull in discussion. It is Ziva who breaks the silence.

"Are you still drinking?" she figured he would deal in that way by the fact that he turned to Ducky's alcohol within a day of them returning to Washington.

"Are you sleeping?"

"You are avoiding the question."

"As are you."

"Tony it was not your fault."

"I know."

"If you knew you would not be drinking." He knows it's pointless to deny it. She knows him too well.

"Why aren't you sleeping?"

"How do you know I have not been sleeping?"

"My Ziva doesn't sound so tired."

"It hasn't been easy here."

"You want to talk about it?"

"Not really"

"You wanna talk about something else?"

"Yes" He tells her about movies, his conversations with McGee and Abby, card games with sailors and other funny stories. And right now it is the best thing in world to talk to someone about something that is not life and death or bombings or murders.

It is past midnight when they finally hang up. "It is going to be a long three days" muses Tony.

He climbs out of the ship and looks around. It's late afternoon but still sunny, perfectly warm, and so much better than his office. He spots her in a pair of cargo pants and maroon shirt with a smile on her face and sunglasses over her eyes. She somehow manages to blend in perfectly. Tony guesses she's had a lot of practice though. Her hair is down and curly, just the way he likes it. When he gets closer he frowns a little. There are dark circles under her eyes and lines there that weren't always there. He hugs her and kisses her on the forehead. He can feel her smile a little into his chest.

"So where are we going?"

"You will see." She laces her fingers with his and leads him to a car. She goes to open the driver's side door.

"Wait," he says placing his hand over hers. "You're driving?"

"Do not worry Tony; I will be careful." She says with a mischievous smirk.

Tony can't read the road signs but he's pretty sure Ziva's broken at least a dozen traffic laws.

"I see your driving skills haven't improved." But here her driving style seems to be the norm. He has lost track of where they are; they've turned down alleyways and crossed a bridge. The sun sinks beneath the sky as they continue on. Suddenly Ziva hits the brakes outside what appears to be an apartment building. It's white with a dark blue door.

"I'm going to have a bruise." Tony says opening the car door.

"I am sure you will recover."

"Where the heck are we?"

"Be patient Tony, you will see in a moment"

Ziva leads him up three flights of stairs. She takes out an old metal key and opens the door. The room is dark and dusty but there is a wonderful smell floating from what appears to be an attached kitchen.

"Sorry about the mess, I just got here yesterday."

"What is this?"

"An apartment"

"Well I can see that."

"I borrowed it from a friend who is on a mission." Her endless contacts and friends never cease to amaze him. "I figured you wouldn't want to stay on base." A night with no navy personal, it just keeps getting better.

"What is that marvelous smell?"

"Well, you said you would want food."

"I think…I think I love you right now" she laughs at his outburst.

She cooked a simple stew and bread but Tony gobbles up the food.

"Ziva…you are…such...a great cook." Tony says between bites. It's the best food he's tasted, well, since the last time he saw her.

"Didn't your mother teach you to not talk with your mouthful?" Tony swallows.

"Whoa did my Ziva just use a contraction? Have you been practicing your English?"

"What if I have been?" She smiles from across the table. They have been apart for way too long.

After dinner Tony manages to get the ancient TV working. It only gets three channels. Tony chooses the one that looks the most promising. He thinks it's a sitcom.

"Do you have any idea what they are saying?"

"I understand zits and pieces but Greek is not one of the languages I speak."

"It's bits and pieces Ziva. Maybe you are not improving that much." She'll never tell him she knew it was bits and pieces. She just wanted to hear him correct her.

"I bet you would massacre the Hebrew language."

"I bet I would." With that they fall into a comfortable silence. Ziva knows what that smell she could not place is. It was Tony, maybe his cologne or maybe just him. Whatever it is, it is comforting.

Soon Tony notices she has fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder. She looks so peaceful like this is the best sleep she has gotten in a long while. Sadly, it probably is. He knows every time he sees her could be his last. One doesn't become a killer and spy for the retirement benefits. But those worries are pointless now. Live for today, meet her and talk to her when you can and hope for the best. He has no idea how their relationship could ever last, but he likes to think they could somehow make it work. He just doesn't know how. With Ziva sleeping softly, the TV only a murmur in the background, his stomach full, and the room warm, Tony drifts off to sleep.

He wakes up and she's gone. A note on the coffee table reads, " The apartment is yours till you leave. There is leftover food in the fridge, just put the key on the counter when you go. I call you. I promise." And just like that she slips through his fingers again.


	3. Morocco

Disclaimer: I own nothing. As usual.

Thanks to all who have reviewed! They are much appreciated. I'm trying to keep this as canon as possible but I realize my timeline is probably off and other such things. Just bare with me. I also still haven't figured out what to do about Michael Rivkin because I know he will be in season six again and I want to continue writing this story without having to totally destroy it if this Michael-person turns out to be something else. Suggestions?

A/N-2: I know Ziva and her father would talk in Hebrew, but I can't. Just assume they are.

SPOILER WARNING: for 6x01 Last Man Standing

Mossad Headquarters Tel Aviv, Israel

"You wanted to see me director." She is not his daughter here, just merely another one of his employees.

"Come sit Ziva." She is caught off guard by his uncharacteristic hospitality.

"We have received intelligence from your former boss about a chechyen terrorist group." He slides her a file. "You will go undercover as a singer at a bar. Read-up, you leave tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Her mind goes to Tony.

"Yes, is there a problem?" If he's surprised by her question, he hides it well.

"No, just wondering why it took you so long to take me off desk duty." She doesn't wait for a response; she just leaves. On her way out she wonders if her father's hospitality is a product of the guilt he feels. He knows full well his daughter might not come back from a mission he personally choose her for.

She packs without thinking, alone in the dark. She's done this more times than she can count. But this time is different because it hurts more than it should. She chastises herself; she's letting her emotions for Tony jeopardize a mission.

The next day Tony gets a message from the communication office: "Agent Sophie Ranier will be unreachable for an indeterminate amount of time. She will contact you as soon as she can." Tony tries not to imagine where Ziva is or what she is doing. He fails miserably. The next morning he wakes up to too many empty bottles and too few phone calls.

Her dreams that night are worse than ever. Now she's certain the ship is sinking into the depths of the ocean and she wakes up covered in a cold sweat. The anxiety and loneliness that has lied at the pit of her stomach since she came to Tel Aviv, that has caused her nightmares and robbed her of rest spills over. She cries into her pillow until she has nothing left. Her stuffed animals provide no comfort. They have never watched a movie.

A week later Tony receives an envelope with Ziva's Star of David necklace in it. There is no note and he wonders for a moment if someone has sent this to him as a threat or proof of her death. But it's too perfect and only a handful of people know about their undercover mission as French assassins. None of them would kill her. One of them is dead.

The taste of her cooking still lingers on his tongue even while he pukes up his stomach that night. All the alcohol in the world couldn't take that taste out.

Tony knows as good as anyone that every undercover mission takes a little bit out of you, that when you put on the fake clothes and take on the fake life you give up a piece of yourself. He is afraid Ziva won't have anything left to give.

Rabat, Morocco

This time it is Tony who visits Ziva. He's wandering through a hospital in Morocco. It was fate that he would be bored and watching ZNN at just the right moment to catch the footage of the explosion. He can't understand any of the signs; they are all in Arabic. He's freaking out and can't think straight. The image of her on a stretcher keeps running through his mind like a never-ending film loop. He doesn't know what to do. She isn't an NCIS agent anymore so he can't call them. He isn't Mossad so he can't call them. If only he had the kind of contacts Ziva did. Then he remembers that one of his frat brothers went on to work at the state department. Why didn't think of that sooner? He thinks while giving himself a mental head slap.

"Rob can you help me?"

"Tony, long time no talk. What can the Moroccan US Embassy do for an old buckeye?"

"Can you look up a room number for a patient at Rabat General hospital?" Rob sighs over the phone.

"Unfortunately, unless you are looking for a federal employee I can't do anything."

"What about a former liaison officer?" Tony asks pleading that today his luck will hold out.

"I can try but…"

"I know. Don't tell anyone."

"What's the name?"

"Name's Ziva David, Mossad" he hears typing in the background. He wonders if she would even be under that name. He took it from her message and delivery of Star of David necklace that she was going undercover.

"I don't see any Ziva Davids here."

"Yeah, sorry I just remembered she's been on an undercover assignment. Can you pull up the Jane Does?"

"Sure thing, just give me her general description and any distinctive marks she has, like moles piercings, tattoos, scars—anything of that sort"

"She's 5'7'', really athletic, dark brown hair and eyes. She has a scar on her left earlobe"

"Okay, got it, room number is 456."

"Is there any way I can find out her information?"

"I can't but I mean you could pretend to be her boyfriend or something…or do you not need to pretend? What is my little frat brother doing dating a mossad agent?" Rob could always read him like a book, even over the phone.

"Oh shut up." Rob chuckles into the phone. In reality he isn't really sure what Ziva and he have. "Hey listen I gotta go. I'll call you to catch up when I can."

"See you later," and with that Rob hangs up. Tony runs up the four flights of stair. When he gets to the fourth floor he is breathing heavily, but keeps running till he reaches her room. He takes a deep breath before going in. He has no idea what or who he could find when he opens the door.

He has to check on her though. He goes in as quietly as possible. Ziva is asleep, thankfully alone in the room. He doesn't want to wake her but he needs to know if she is all right.

"Ziva, I need you to wake-up, Ziva" he says shaking her. She wakes with a start.

"Tony what are you doing? How did you get off the ship? How did you know I was here?" Ziva has a cut just above her right eyebrow that has been stitched. The rest of the wounds appear to be minor scratches.

"We were going to have leave at the naval base in Rota soon. I took an early plane out when I saw you on ZNN." He tries to be the calm one.

"What?" Ziva is still confused.

"Do you remember what happened?" He wonders whether or not she was hit in the head.

"Of course I do, " she says sitting up. "You cannot be here."

"Are you worried about your father?"

"It is not my father I am worried about. These people saw me and blew me up. They could still be watching me. If they see you, you could be next " She jabs a finger at him.

"In a few hours I will be back in a metal ship, surrounded by navy personnel. It is you who needs to be worried about. Do you know who did this?"

"We are not sure yet; it is an ongoing mission." She moves to get out of bed. "I need to get out of here."

"Whoa where do you think you are going? You just got blown-up."

"It is not my first time"

"I don't doubt that but still." He tries to stop her even though he knows she could take him in a fight.

"Look Tony, Mossad is not like the navy. If you do not come back, they do not go looking."

"Ziva" he nearly shouts. "Just wait, let the doctors make sure you are alright."

"Tony I cannot. Are you not listening? I have to leave" she pushes up against him but he isn't backing down.

"Ziva!" he is shouting now. "Do you have any idea what I have just been through? One minute I am watching TV and the next I am here in a country where I cannot read or speak the language looking for you, imagining you in a coma or worse, and now you just want to leave without getting doctor's approval!" She can sense the stress rolling off him in waves. She has seen Tony angry before, but it was never directed at her. She realizes that while these kind of on the job injuries are normal to her they are hardly commonplace for him.

"Tony I did not mean to worry you. It is just that this mission is very important and I must get back to headquarters as soon as possible. I will wait for the doctor but for no more than thirty minutes and then I must go." She lies back down in bed.

"I'll go find a doctor." He says even though he still doesn't speak any Arabic. He needs to take a breather after their argument. He feels bad having yelled at Ziva hours after she was involved in a terrorist attack, maybe the target.

He doesn't apologize nor does he need to. It's a quiet understanding they have. They fight, get they're anger out, and move on. Anger is pointless unless properly utilized. "Back at NCIS she would have threatened to," Tony begins to think but stops because they're not at NCIS anymore.

She doesn't apologize either but it's not because she thinks it's unnecessary. It's just that she doesn't really know how.

He comes back with a doctor who doesn't speak any English but luckily one of the nurses does.

He examines Ziva and they talk in Arabic. Even though she says that he said she is fine and safe to go he doubts that's the truth. But it's nice that she would try to calm his fears.

"Well, I cannot leave dressed like this" she is still in a hospital gown.

"I'll see if I can find your clothes." He starts to rummage through the cabinet opposite her bed.

Tony finds one very low cut purple dress.

"Exactly what were you going undercover as?" he says holding up the dress. And in a rare moment they both just start bursting out laughing and can't stop. Maybe it is the extreme amount of stress they were under, or the way Tony is holding up the dress so that it looks like he is wearing it, or maybe it is just the painkillers, but what ever the reason, it is good to laugh again.

"I cannot leave wearing that," Ziva says recovering from her fit of hysteria.

He takes off his backpack and pulls out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. "Here" he throws her the clothes.

"Where did you get these?"

"You left them at the apartment in Greece. Figured some time you'd either want them back or they would come to good use."

"I've already seen it all." He says as she sits with the clothes in her lap. She glares at him. "But I'll leave anyway."

When she calls him back in, he takes her hand, leads her down the stairs, out of the hospital, and into the hot sun.

"Ziva" "you are forgetting something." He places her necklaces in her hand. "Toda,"

She says putting it into her pant pocket.

"Please" he says turning her towards him. "Stay safe."

"We will meet again," she whispers. She kisses him so lightly and quickly it could have been a ghost. He feels a slip of paper being forced into his hand. With that she drifts out onto a crowded dusty street. Tony's eyes follow her until the crowd consumes her. He looks at the slip. "This is my number at Mossad. You can call but make sure you are alone; the line is secure, and only after 1800. -Z" Suddenly, his mouth is dry.


	4. Last Man Standing

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

SPOILER WARNING for last man standing 6x01

Sorry this chapter is so short. There wasn't much Tony/Ziva in Last Man Standing. But I am working on the next chapter with Agent Afloat and there is much more to build a story around.

*******************

"We miss you Ziva"

"I miss you too, all of you, even Tony."

She knows mentioning Tony was careless, even a bit reckless, but she was hoping for something because he still hasn't called and she is worried. She's disappointed when Gibbs hangs up without mentioning him. She hates when her father insists on a kiss. He kisses her right where Tony had kissed her just a day before. It feels like he ruined something sacred. She's mad that he sends her home because she only gave Tony her office number. She hates her father in every sense of the word but still seeks his approval. She cannot explain it.

********************

And just as quickly as she was shipped off she is back. Everything should be back to normal. But it isn't. Tony isn't here. She cannot help but feel empty when Abby and Gibbs hug her because they're should be another hug, another smiling face, another welcome back. Tony was never the hugging type anyways she tells herself. It doesn't help.

********************

She rents out the same apartment in Washington. And it is weird to be back. She forced herself to throw out many of the possessions she had collected her first time around as a liaison officer. Too many objects symbolized attachment and attachment can be painful.

She picks up the phone and dials. She's so thankful that he picks up she forgets his lack of calling.

"Tony"

"Yes"

"I am back in Washington. I am a liaison officer again." She states as simply as possible.

"That's great," he tries to hide his disappointment and jealousy in his voice

"I am sure you will back here soon." She tries to reassure him.

"God I hope so" he sighs.

"Still fun then" she chuckles a little.

"Ziva, you would have shot half the crew by now."

"I probably would have."

"How is the Probie, Abs, Ducky, Palmer, Gibbs?"

"They miss you."

"I miss them too" they talk like this, about unimportant things that have changed since they had been disbanded, into the night. Ziva hopes she prevented him from getting ridiculously drunk for at least one night.

*******************

Her first morning back, the clock suddenly seems much to loud. She wonders if they had replaced the old one while she was gone. How many days had it been since things had been "normal?" And since when did her life have a "normal?" She didn't know.


	5. Agent Afloat

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Sorry about the delay. I've had homework to finish and it took me awhile to get this to come out right.

**********************

"It's gonna be tough."

"You think it's hard for us. Imagine what it feels like to be him."

"Who him?"

"Tony! We're all here and he's stuck on that ship."

"Not Tony. I meant…

Completely alone, away from all those who care about him. Wait? You weren't talking about Tony?"

"No."

Damn, she was caught in a trap. She had to be more careful now that she was back. So did he, when he came back. He was coming back.

**********************

"Ziva"

"Want me to join you?"

Gibbs thinks she hasn't seen him in four months, in reality it's been only a week. But that doesn't mean she doesn't want to see him, even if it is only on a screen in MTAC

***********************

She feels stupid spending so much time getting ready for him. Even Gibbs notices "You coming David" "Yes" she grabs her weapons putting them in their places. Which serves as a reminder to her that they will have to hide any more-than-just-partners behavior. She wonders if Gibbs is really the reason they never gave it a chance before or if it was something else. She wears the same maroon top and cargo pants as she did in Greece hoping to bring up good (but private) memories for Tony

"Nice tan" He smiles as memories of a certain night with a special lady in a country he will forever have good memories of.

"Let me guess. You guys caught a bad case of DiNozzo-itis and had Vance send you down" south.

"DiNozzo-itis, sounds venereal." Oddly, they actually hadn't done it yet, but they hadn't found the perfect moment, yet…

"Okay, don't admit it. I know you missed me. I missed you Boss."

"What?" He notices her eyes following him.

"You seem, um…different."

"Taller? Hotter?" He hates serious conversations.

"Older." Well, he was hot but she worried about him.

"Well, it's been over four months." He says his eyes flicking towards Gibbs, hoping he heard the four months as to put off suspicion.

"You still beating yourself up over Jenny?"

"Not as much as I used to."

"Drinking?"

"Not as much as I used to."

"You could have called."

***********************

"Okay, I was thinking we should let Ziva handle the coroner. I've got a hunch." Tony knew no man on earth could deny her hotness and well, as much as he liked to keep her to himself, they needed that report. He would make it up to her later.

"Got a hunch huh?"

"The powers of observation." He quietly appreciates her beauty from a distance.

************************

"Hell of a Co-winki-dink."

"What's a quink-a-dink?"

"Coincidence."

"You believe this is a Co-wink-a-quink?"

"Sarcasm Ziva. We're back in America. Flip the switch."

"Well technically we are not."

"American ship, American soil. Oh, American soil".

"Enough already. You have three more months. What's the big deal?"

"Easy for you to say."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're back in DC, which is what you wanted."

"Isn't it?"

"You get orders Tony. You may not like them, but you follow them. That's why they're called orders."

"That's not what I asked. Something happened in Israel didn't it? You'll say you didn't want to talk about it, but your eyes won't shut up. Something you left behind maybe? Or someone?"

"You're right. I don't want to talk about it."

She doesn't have an answer and it's not because she left someone or something in Israel. She misses their ability to have a relationship without any strings. Yes, she wanted to be back in Washington but it wasn't Washington without Tony. She found it easy to kiss him, easy to be his when Gibbs or Abby or McGee weren't there. They already had the tension. They had just needed that environment for them to give in. The broken-up team and far-away lands was that environment. Now she was scared they wouldn't make it if they had to deal with work

****************************

"COV's leaving in ten minutes boss."

"Well then grab your gear."

"My gear?"

"Yeah. You're heading home DiNozzo"

"Home?"

"Home." Ziva said, thinking quietly to herself that Washington with him was her home as well.

"Make a hole! Coming through!"

Ziva had come with Tony to help him pack.

"Ziva" Tony says reaching out a hand. "I'm sorry about the photos. I didn't mean to objectify you like that. I promise though, that I always took them down before a sailor came in."

"I am more upset another man has access to those photos."

"Who, McGee?" Tony says realization dawning on him.

"Yes, McGee"

"If McGee has been looking at those photos or if they appear as a wallpaper I will personally see to his demise."

"Protective much Tony?"

"Only of one certain lady, she kicks ass by herself and probably hates me for trying to protect her, but I just seem to be unable to help myself."

"Well, I think that lady might be more willing to accept that kind of protection now," she smiles lightly to him.

"I am so glad to be going home."

"I am so glad you are coming home. It has not been the same without you."

Ziva gets to Tony's apartment just in time to see him emptying the contents of his stomach. She runs to the bathroom to find him leaning over the toilet. He can't picture what shapes she draws into his back, rubbing it as he retches. Circles? Squares? Triangles? No, they were hearts. She's murmuring words he can't discern. He was so out-of-it sick that he couldn't even tell if she was speaking English. He figures she isn't. In the movies, the guy never broke down it was always the girl. But this wasn't a movie. The good guys never died there.

"Here," she says handing him a glass of water and towel. He takes it gratefully, but shamefully.

"I'm sorry"

"There is nothing to be sorry about"

"I screwed-up" She realizes that he isn't just talking about getting ridiculously drunk again, but of Jenny. They hadn't really discussed her yet.

"Tony, we all make mistakes"

"That's why I didn't call" She remembers her statement before. "I don't deserve your comfort. She was your friend too."

"No one is undeserving of comfort when a friend dies."

"Ziva," a bit of anger bubbles to the surface trying to win over his exhaustion "she wasn't that old."

"No one is ever too old to die." He seems to accept this and she pulls him up leading him to his bedroom.

"Let's get you into some clean clothes." That is when he realizes his apartment is clean, cleaner than he left it. He had been to set on getting drunk to notice.

"Someone has been here." He says as she pulls out an oversized Baltimore PD shirt and sweatpants.

"I am sorry. I should have asked first, but I figured it would be in need of a good cleaning, given previous habits." She helping him changes now, his limbs to stupefied to cooperate with her. She had seen everything already anyways, right?

"Thank-you"

"Your welcome" She pulls him into a hug as they sit down on his bed, all in one calculated smooth movement. She can feel his tears soaking her shirt.

"Shhh, I'm here"

"You won't leave me, even if I screw-up again"

"Never, never, never, never" he hugs her tightly

"I'm never letting you slip through my fingers again" she hopes he can't see the silent tears coming down her face too.

"I'm not letting you either" and they stayed like that until they both feel asleep.

He wakes up and instead of a lonely apartment, he hears Ziva singly softly in the shower. They can make this work.


End file.
